Garter belt



Dec. 19, l194,4..

A. GQ cuslcK GARTER BELT Filed Aug 14. 1941 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 19, 1944 GA R}TE R BELT Anthony G. Cusick, Worcester, Mass., assignor. tor Cusette Foundations, Inc., Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts l Application August 14, 1941, Serial No. 45061759 3 Claims. `(Cl. 25314) The present invention relates to garter belts, and girdles, particularly to an attachment on the belt which permits use of `the belt for the support of sanitary napkins.

Garter belts, as is well known, are made in various widths to cover a greater or less portion of the wearers abdomen, but generally these belts are cut high both at front and back, so that when it is necessary to use a sanitary napkin, the ends of the napkin are not long enough to be fastened directly to the garter belt. As a result, a special ybelt for the support of the sanitary napkin must be worn in a-ddition to the garter belt. The principal object of the present invention is to provide a garter belt which, while having the usual appearance and fit of the conventional type of garter belt, has concealed therein resiliently supported tabs, which may be brought into a position, when necessary, for the attachment of the ends of the sanitary napkin thereto.

A further feature of the invention resides in the positioning of these tabs for the attachment of the sanitary napkins in such a Way that there is a resilient support for the napkin, and also that the tabs, when released, will be withdrawn Within the belt and entirely out of sight until needed again.

A combination garter belt and support for sanitary napkins is shown in theLindsay United States Patent No. 605,108, in which the belt is prorvided with downwardly extending tabs at front and back, which are intended for engage ment With the ends of the sanitary napkin. One Y object of the present invention is to avoid these permanenty protruding tabs on the garter belt.

Other and further objects `and advantages of the invention will hereinafter more fully appear from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a garter belt embodying the invention.

. Fig. 2 is a view of the front panel of the belt,

with parts broken away.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the tabs pulled out in readiness for use.

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. l, showing the device applied to a girdle.

With reference to the drawing, the garter belt has a front panel l and a back panel 2, both preferably made of inelastic `material. The panels are connected to form the belt by side sections 3 and 4, preferably of elastic webbing. Separable fasteners 5 provide for attaching the end of one of 'the side sections 4 to the edge of the front panel l, to permit removal of the belt. y

' Each panel I and 2 is made up of two separate plies 6 and 'l of fabric, as indicated in Fig. 2, which are secured together around the periphery thereof as by stitching 8' except for a small central portion along the lower edge to provide an opening 8. Garter straps 9 are secured to the lower edges of both the front and back panels at opposite sides of the opening between the plies of the material.

Within the front and back panels, as best shown in Fig. 2, is positioned a tab I0, the opposite upper-corners of which are connected by narrow elastic straps Il and l2 to points adjacent the opposite upper corners of the panel in which the tab is positioned. The length of the elastic straps is such that the tab in its normal position, with the straps under tension, is approximately that shown in Fig. 2, so thatas will be apparent, the entire tab and the supporting straps are entirely concealed within the panel. When it is desired to utilize the tab l0 for the support of a sanitary napkin, the tab may be pulled down to project below the lower edge of the parel by being withdrawn through the opening 8, as indicated in Fig. 3. The elastic supporting straps permit the tab to be drawn down to whatever extent is necessary, and the straps then support the tab resiliently to the same extent, and in substantially the same manner, as the ends of the sanitary napkin would be supported by the conventional sanitary belt, especially designed for that purpose. Whenever the tab is disengaged from the end of the sanitary napkin, the resiliency of the elastic straps will cause the tab to be Withdrawn within the panel so that the tab entirely disappears, until it must be used again.

It will be understood that the mounting of the tab in the back panel is the same as that for the front panel, and a detailed description of the other tab is accordingly unnecessary. It may be further noted that although the tabs have been shown in connection with a conventional garter belt, the same arrangement may equally well be used in any of the conventional girdles, corsets or other supporting garments. Thus, as shown in Fig. 4, the girdle having a front panel l and a rear panel 2', connected together by side sections 3 and 4', has the taby I0 positioned between the two plies 6 and 'l' of the panel, and

the panel, it will still be high enough on the wearer to be serviceable. Obviously, the type of foundation garment that extends over the thighs of the wearer could not readily utilize this type of concealed tab.

I claim:

1. In a garter belt having front and back sections and side sections connecting the front and back together, each of said front and back sections being of double thickness and providing a concave lower edge along which the section is open, a tab positioned between the plies of material of each of the front and back sections, and elastic straps connected to each tab and extending from each of the upper corners of the tabV to points adjacent the upper corners of the section for exerting an upward pull on the tab tov normally maintain said tab in a concealed position between the plies of material.

2. In a garter belt having front and back sections and side sections connecting the front and back together, each of said front and back sections being of double thickness, a tab positioned between the plies of material of each of the front and back sections, and elastic straps connected to each taband extending from each of the upper corners of the tab to points adjacent the upper corners of the section for exerting an upward pull on the tab, to normally maintain said tab in a concealed position between plies of material, with each of said front and back sections having an opening along the lower edge through which the tab may be Withdrawn f or use.

3. A garter belt comprising front and back sections, with side sections connecting the front and back sections together, each of said front and back sections being composed of overlying plies of material secured together along their edges, except for a distance along the bottom of each section which is open, a tab located between the plies of material of each front and back section, and elastic straps connected to the upper corners of said tab and extending oppositely between said plies to points adjacent the upper corners of a section, said straps serving to yieldingly maintain said tab in a concealed position between the plies of material along the top of a section and opposite to its open bottom through which the tab may be withdrawn for use.

- ANTHONY G. CUSICK. 

